Hierarchy

Well, first a quick fill-in before I start my blog. Stephen and I ended up visiting the local market yesterday morning, after my friend said she would be arriving later in the afternoon. There were fewer stalls than last time but I still managed to find a bargain or two. I have just planted the stock and parsley plants and spread the seaweed over the rest of the vegetable garden as I intended. Now for today’s blog.

A story caught my eye in this morning’s paper (for me via the website). It was about a lawyer who was seemingly super successful, though it turned out most of her claims were false. She admitted she had a problem with telling the truth and thus most of what she’d built herself up to be was a lie, even the fact that she was a qualified lawyer. I don’t think she ever finished her exams. I didn’t read the article thoroughly, only skimming over and catching the gist of it. Sometimes, these in-depth features seem too long, though this one was an interesting read. The bit that caught my eye was a comment from another person, something along the lines of her involvement with one of the lawyers high up would have caused jealousy amongst many of her peers. It seems that every profession has a hierarchy, their own little mini empire functioning among all the other mini empires around. I have seen this same system operating in the hospitals, where many of the specialists feel and act like they are some kind of god. They demand and are given the reverence they seek but often their behaviour is appalling. These men and women probably treat their patients okay, but often they are extremely arrogant to those they are working with. I have never had much time for people like this, and if I was ever asked to chose between the arrogant high-achiever and the humble, poor, kind person I would choose the latter every time. Power and position do not make a person. Humility and kindness do. Each of these people, in fact all of us, will one day leave this earth plane. On the other side, we will stand in a space of love that is so powerful, that we will see exactly how we have behaved. Whilst these kinds of people may feel they rule their empires here, I am sure many of them will be shocked to find that those kinds of earthly achievements and particularly that behaviour, count for nothing on the other side. The fact they are high up in their field, won’t make them any better than the man alongside them, once they reach the other side.

I saw this hierarchy in every field I worked in, even the humble shearing gangs. The fastest shearers sat at the top. They ate first, had their cups of teas first and generally expected others to bow and scrape to them. They were revered as well within the gang and generally had their pick of the rousies each evening, never mind whether there was a wife or girlfriend waiting at home, minding the children and generally running the household while these men were away. Even the way they were paid reflected this hierarchy. The more sheep a shearer shore, the more money he would earn. In contrast, the rousies and pressers were paid by the hour, so a fast group of shearers would mean that the pressers and rousies would have to work extra hard but with no extra money to reflect this. While the fastest shearer ruled the gang, it was the contractor who ruled the empire. They were held in even higher esteem than the gun shearer. I guess being the one to hand out the pay cheques after each shed, and having the ability to hire or fire, gave them this edge.

I am all for people doing well in their lives, working hard and trying to do the best that they can. But I am not okay with people who develop an I am holier than thou attitude, believing that they are somehow better than anyone else. I am pleased to say that while this hierarchal system operated within the shearing sheds, generally the men were down to earth, decent, hard-working blokes. The same can’t be said of some of these people in other professions. It was sad reading about this young woman this morning, who embellished so much of her life. She was after the power and prestige that all the things she was claiming to achieve, gave her. It is a pity that she couldn’t be happy with who she was, just as she was, that she was just as good a person as any highfalutin lawyer. However, the hierarchy amongst that profession drove her to create this false reality.

Let’s hope that these people who believe they are better than others, realise their humility before they pass over and this young woman realises her worth so she won’t feel the need to pretend to be someone who she is not.